Wii’s Unfinished Canvas

Filling in the gaps of Wii’s lifespan with Star Wars, Luigi, Mario Paint, and more!!

By Michael Contino. Posted 04/19/2012 10:00 1 Comment     ShareThis

Mario Paint Official Art

Many gaps exist in Wii’s five-plus year history which could have been filled by the following five games, putting the Wii remote to excellent use. A Star Wars lightsaber game has been on the minds of Nintendo fans since we first heard of what Wii could do. Luigi had a great outing in his very own GameCube launch title, only to fall by the wayside soon after. Epic Mickey may have provided paint mechanics but the return of Mario Paint is long overdue. Two Nintendo mascots seem to have trouble keeping up with the latest hardware, in Fox McCloud and Captain Falcon. Aside from a 3DS re-release and Virtual Console appearances, neither Star Fox nor F-Zero have landed on consoles since the last generation.

In late 2002, Vicarious Visions helped bring Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast to GameCube. The game combined first-person and third-person controls to create a stellar Star Wars experience. A Jedi Knight game on Wii could have been perfect for the Wii remote’s capabilities. Perhaps Ubisoft, who have worked on two portable Star Wars games in the past, could have developed it, having made Red Steel 2. A game centered around 1:1 lightsaber action, if done correctly, could have ended up being one of the most worthwhile experiences on Wii. Preferably, the story could have been set after the films, continuing on the success of the Jedi Knight series.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

The force is strong with this one.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 may be headed to 3DS in the near future but the skinny plumber’s antics could have been put to great use on Wii. Imagine instances where the camera would close in on Luigi, not necessarily to first-person view, and you would have to aim your Wii remote around a dark room to spot ghosts and subsequently, suck them up with your Poltergust 3000. In addition, pulling back on the remote, in much of the way a person catches a fish, would reel a ghost into the vacuum. Pointing at ghosts will automatically turn Luigi in their direction, the Wii remote basically becoming the Poltergust 3000, ready to suck up spirits, coins, hearts, etc. Perhaps Nintendo considered a Wii sequel and then abandoned it, opting for 3DS instead.

Unbelievably, it has been twenty years since Mario Paint hit SNES. A Wii revival could have made much sense and Nintendo would not have had to name it Mario Paint Wii. Imagine Paint Mii or Wii Paint. As a pack-in game, it could have provided the perfect toolset, alongside Wii Sports. Wii pointer controls could be used to work wonders here, creating future artists and musicians. In addition to the return of the Gnat Attack, or Coffee Break, minigame, other wonders from Nintendo’s closet could have found a home on Wii. In the early 2000s, a game involving the manipulation of a marionette was under development at Nintendo. Lacking enough story features, it was shelved. This could have been a fun little minigame in a Mario Paint sequel, having the player paint their very own puppet and controlling it with a Wii remote to entertain Miis.

Yet another absentee to the Wii party is a fully-fledged Star Fox game. Over seven years have passed since Fox last entered the cockpit on consoles. Star Fox is in desperate need of a return and a Wii outing could have taken advantage of Wii controls. The Wii remote is held in either hand and used to pilot an arwing. Barrel rolls come from an easy flick of the wrist. The screen zooms in when inside a landmaster, allowing the player to shoot down bogeys by pointing at the screen. Seeing Star Fox on Wii could also have been a visual delight, much like what was done for Mario in the Super Mario Galaxy games.

Star Fox Assault Art

James McCloud would be proud.

Last but not least, the mysterious disappearance of F-Zero has bewildered Nintendo fans. Last seen on consoles in 2003, Captain Falcon made one more appearance on Game Boy Advance the following year before appearing in a Japan-only GBA follow-up that same year. Much like with Star Fox, a whole generation of kids is growing up as Nintendo fans with no knowledge of these characters other than what they have seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. F-Zero Wii could have used the Wii Wheel, as I am sure some fans who read this only used theirs for Mario Kart Wii.

Obviously, none of these games will ever see the light of day on Wii. A new console lies on the horizon in Wii U. Although the aforementioned Star Wars game would need to abandon the Wii U tablet for 1:1 lightsaber action, Mario Paint and F-Zero could thrive on Wii U. Already knowing we can draw on the tablet, in racing games it can be used as a rear-view mirror for your kart or machine. As we inch closer and closer to E3, at least one of these games could show up at the yearly media presentation in early June.

One Response to “Wii’s Unfinished Canvas”

  • 1244 points
    lukas85 says...

    A star wars game on wii, using your lightsaber was a no-brainer, i dont get why no one developed this game, opting insted for that cheese, awful game that is star wars kinect.

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